Jeff Shell has settled a lawsuit from a self-deputized former public relations adviser who accused the ex-Paramount Skydance president of reneging on a deal involving a TV show.
Both sides on Wednesday moved to dismiss their claims. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
The adviser, R.J. Cipriani, triggered the chain of events that ended with Shell’s exit at Paramount when he alleged that the former executive improperly disclosed details to him about the timing and structure of Paramount’s $7.7 billion media rights deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship almost a month before its August 2025 announcement. An internal investigation, which cleared Shell of any wrongdoing and an SEC inquiry followed.
With the settlement, bigwigs across Hollywood avoid the possibility of being deposed in the case. Cipriani’s lawyers had subpoenaed media mogul Ari Emanuel and UTA cofounder Jim Berkus, among several others.
In the lawsuit, Cipriani claimed that Shell shared confidential information with him to suppress negative stories about him and to circulate favorable coverage for the company. One example: Shell last year solicited his advice on wrangling between Paramount Global and the South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, over a new streaming deal, according to the complaint. Cipriani said he was involved in a story in The Hollywood Reporter exploring the fight, taking credit for shifting the public narrative in Paramount’s favor and ultimately saving the company $1.5 billion.
